Truth. The law firms and schools that gave in are going to suffer. Many of the firms have seen their senior partners and associates leave to form their own firms. Harvard will survive better than Columbia because they fought on behalf of their institution!
Most don’t like to think everything they believe about the world, their country, their state, city or n’hood is wrong.
To acknowledge we aren’t the “greatest” & other nations are doing something better means questioning our education, family, beliefs. That’s too much for many, so they’ll go on believing China is 2nd world & behind us.
Meanwhile, this administration is not only stoking divisions internally, they are removing us from global leadership position, destroying relationships with allies, undoing our future in every way from health to science, emboldening enemies & dictators, & setting up others to take our place in all the ways that matter.
David, your observations are painfully correct. I’m a baby boomer and many in my generation have turned to the dark side of greed, self-interest, and complete amnesia of what made us great in the past. The 20th century was the American Century for a host of reasons both demographic and we were collectively more focused on what was good for the nation and the people in it vs just the few wealthy at the top. It’s almost inconceivable that popular programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food help are all relatively recent. All are popular and sadly none could be passed today. It’s appalling how these popular and necessary programs are continually underfunded and only saved at the last minute from disaster. We are also looking for ways to eliminate as many people from these programs in the guise of eliminating waste and fraud. The truth is we are ever more narrowly defining who is “worthy “ of our help, looking to increase the unworthy category by creating ever higher hoops to jump to qualify.
The Republican understanding of capitalism is another head scratching exercise in self inflicted wounds. The deficit hawks decry our ever growing deficit while they simultaneously defund the IRS, the only branch of government that brings in money, spend insane amounts of money evicting illegal aliens vs fixing our immigration system and allowing legal immigrants to work and pay taxes, and pass endless rounds of tax cuts for the already wealthy. As our deficit rises, so does our cost to pay it off. Starting mindless trade wars by starting and stopping extreme tariffs on a weekly basis does nothing but create businesses uncertainty and tanks our economy.
You’re right, our nation does have a long history of disagreement. In the past at least we could have a factual conversation. Today it’s a constant barrage of lies coming from the White House. Since too many of us no longer get our news from credible sources, we just wallow in our own echo chambers.
Until as a nation we return to some semblance of looking out for each other and the greater good we’ll continue down this slide to the bottom. Worst of all we elected a president and fawning party of spineless law makers who are hell bent on destroying our government and professional class of federal workers. The current cabinet is the most incompetent and poorly qualified in history.
We got exactly the government we voted for. If we want different we need to vote differently. Maybe after two years of chaos and disaster of Trump round two we can wake up more sober and vote for something that looks like competence and responsible adult behavior.
I can add as a foreigner with a warm heart for the US I knew (past tense!) from private and business trips.
A period in which I had the pleasure to travel the East- and West coast and some of the places and cities in between plus two marvelous stays in Hawaii, a period during which I met a lot of very friendly, helpful US citizens of all colors, all religions and voting left or right. Leading to many interesting conversations and discussions on a variety of topics after which meals have been shared and laughter exchanged.
That the reputation from the US, which was already on a downward slope since Bush's "mission accomplished" idiocy in the Middle East, is now completely down the proverbial drain. Thinking that this convicted felon president and his Heritage Foundation freaks are only in their 4th month makes me wonder what, if anything, will be left of the US in 2028.
Now on the plus side, as Mr. Rothkopf also indicates. The resilience and fighting spirit of Americans is such that I know (and hope) that they will fight this regime with teeth and nails.
Will the same US emerge afterwards? I don't think so. Too much has been destroyed. But at least you would all become a reliable partner again for other countries, other nations.
Well, David, I'm not so negative about the US as you may be. Of course, being a resident of the fourth largest economy in the world, and a person who pretty much ignores all the flyover states, because they only keep going because of the money California gives them. As far as I'm concerned, at this moment, the west coast is the center of the US. So t thinks he's president, does he? He doesn't seem to have much power, except to cause laughter (TACO) and outrage ("He said what?"). His attempt to cut expenses seems to have increased them, because neither he nor muck understand consequences. He's concerned about Harvard? Oh really? My father got his doctorate at Harvard, and I was born in Cambridge. But my father spent the last 28 years of his teaching career at Berkeley, and I myself graduated from Berkeley. I'm a big admirer of land grant universities, and I follow what my father always, pick your college based on what you want to learn. Almost every college has one subject or segment of a subject in which it is the best in the country or the world. T and others seem to regard colleges as a sign of social status. You're supposed to be there because you want to learn, not because you're looking for social status.
I agree that we boomers didn't govern well. But we were kind of cut out of it by Reagan. GW Bush, our only true boomer was a moron, and not a good representative of us. But we also seem to be more interested in learning and doing what we wanted to do. Jobs and Wozniak gave us the popular computer, and they weren't as interested in going to school as they were in building/inventing something new. Me, I wanted to read Homer in Homeric Greek. My husband wanted to play music. We're just not the governing types. Roosevelt and his generation gave us the space to do whatever we wanted and then Nixon, Reagan, et al., set the US up for failure in the long run. I've kind of given up on the US over the past few months, but I do think California will keep the Constitution, and we will do the best at surviving the climate crisis. The rest of the country, especially the red states, I don't think they will survive. We're multicultural, we love immigrants, we love the environment, we're just not willing to join, oh, say, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana...
A nation divided against itself (or any human endeavor) can not long endure. Maybe it is time to let the troublemakers of division go away and learn the hard way that as my dad used to say: "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" but as I used to counter and Trump has prover me very correct, "you catch the most with bull s__t." Unless you are planning to plant a garden or acres of produce what you end up with is a smelly mess and lots of unhappy people. I think we have arrived there.
I'd take it a step further, than David, Now, with their protections revoked the Trump administration is looking for ways to deport people quickly. One can compare the Trump regime and the obvious sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was their extreme lack of compassion, in their treatment of strangers and the poor. This included their arrogant and uncharitable behavior, as well as a general lack of concern for the needy and overall depravity and refusal to help others. Nazi's ethnic cleansing insult. Take your pick.
This is a very well written, thoughtful piece on the state of our country today. I wake up every day amazed at the state in which we find our country. Being a Boomer, I’ve lived through and fought for many changes these past 70+ years-McCarthyism, Cold War, Vietnam, Civil Rights, Womens Rights, Veterans Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights and on and on. But we Boomers are no fools. It’s time to pass the torch to innovative ideas, new passions, new discoveries and dreams. Rest assured, though, we will be right there behind you with our canes and walkers and wheelchairs as well as those blessed with whole bodies, marching, shouting, fighting and cheering with you all. God bless our new generations. You will bring us through!!
I think a lot of us are braced by your articulation of things which are fairly obvious to those who are paying attention and putting two and two together. And thanks for your efforts on our behalf. I personally wouldn't mind if we experienced some sort of pause or even regression, if that resulted in ridding ourselves of the regressive, greedy, frightened, sexist, racist, arrogant wealthy fascists who are very much contributing to our downfall. Let's hope that when Humpty Dumpty has his great fall, we can put something way better than that bloated egghead know-nothing not back together again, but together better.
Build, better, stronger should be the plan. Also correcting the holes in our constitution so that a felon can not hold ANY office including the presidency!!
It's hard to disagree with any of these points, including the fact that political divisions have been with us since the founding and the perverse role of the current regime in seeking to exacerbate them. Some of us wonder why everyone doesn't recognize what is happening right before our eyes. This country, "led" by a democratically elected convicted felon and known huckster president, seems to be doing its best to commit slow motion yet strangely accelerated national suicide. Is there any precedent anywhere in world history for the self-infliction of such a wound? And will it be fatal? And why are the views of those of us who believe we see these things clearly not shared by all Americans? Loaded questions.
Sir, you are always right in the mark. I agree we’ve always been divided, but this guy is making everything so much worse. He is telling people to let loose their racist and hate-filled freak flag. He is actively trying to I believe, destroy our country. He is laying the ground work for authoritarianism. Yes, the weird minority want to rule. Geeez. Thank you and hope you had a great time traveling!
This is for the most part a great post telling us how it is. My viewpoint is slightly different - “never” is a strong absolute term in describing our future position that I’ve found from experience cannot be reliably used in most narratives. Assumptions and circumstances always change. The trick is to not only to make the required structural changes but to show the world that no matter who is President, our word is sacrosanct and our core values will not be undermined by any scoundrels or authoritarians. There will be plenty of opportunities to illustrate this over time, but it needs to be demonstrated to the world in order for us to regain trust. It won’t be quick or easy or timely enough (for those who are advanced in years), there will be setbacks and successes, but the long term goal must never be forgotten or abandoned and we may indeed be closer one day to the ideal than ever before.
Aussie here. It's sad watching the US decline and fall like so many empires before it ... but also essential that at least some Americans are realising it wasn't really that great before.
The rest of the world is scrambling to find new allies and strengthen old bonds, while your country destroys itself at the hands of a narcissistic toddler bent on grift and revenge. Can't imagine what the world will look like in just 10 years' time, let alone 20 or 30 🤔
Truth. The law firms and schools that gave in are going to suffer. Many of the firms have seen their senior partners and associates leave to form their own firms. Harvard will survive better than Columbia because they fought on behalf of their institution!
Most don’t like to think everything they believe about the world, their country, their state, city or n’hood is wrong.
To acknowledge we aren’t the “greatest” & other nations are doing something better means questioning our education, family, beliefs. That’s too much for many, so they’ll go on believing China is 2nd world & behind us.
Meanwhile, this administration is not only stoking divisions internally, they are removing us from global leadership position, destroying relationships with allies, undoing our future in every way from health to science, emboldening enemies & dictators, & setting up others to take our place in all the ways that matter.
Americas uppance has come.
David, your observations are painfully correct. I’m a baby boomer and many in my generation have turned to the dark side of greed, self-interest, and complete amnesia of what made us great in the past. The 20th century was the American Century for a host of reasons both demographic and we were collectively more focused on what was good for the nation and the people in it vs just the few wealthy at the top. It’s almost inconceivable that popular programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food help are all relatively recent. All are popular and sadly none could be passed today. It’s appalling how these popular and necessary programs are continually underfunded and only saved at the last minute from disaster. We are also looking for ways to eliminate as many people from these programs in the guise of eliminating waste and fraud. The truth is we are ever more narrowly defining who is “worthy “ of our help, looking to increase the unworthy category by creating ever higher hoops to jump to qualify.
The Republican understanding of capitalism is another head scratching exercise in self inflicted wounds. The deficit hawks decry our ever growing deficit while they simultaneously defund the IRS, the only branch of government that brings in money, spend insane amounts of money evicting illegal aliens vs fixing our immigration system and allowing legal immigrants to work and pay taxes, and pass endless rounds of tax cuts for the already wealthy. As our deficit rises, so does our cost to pay it off. Starting mindless trade wars by starting and stopping extreme tariffs on a weekly basis does nothing but create businesses uncertainty and tanks our economy.
You’re right, our nation does have a long history of disagreement. In the past at least we could have a factual conversation. Today it’s a constant barrage of lies coming from the White House. Since too many of us no longer get our news from credible sources, we just wallow in our own echo chambers.
Until as a nation we return to some semblance of looking out for each other and the greater good we’ll continue down this slide to the bottom. Worst of all we elected a president and fawning party of spineless law makers who are hell bent on destroying our government and professional class of federal workers. The current cabinet is the most incompetent and poorly qualified in history.
We got exactly the government we voted for. If we want different we need to vote differently. Maybe after two years of chaos and disaster of Trump round two we can wake up more sober and vote for something that looks like competence and responsible adult behavior.
I can add as a foreigner with a warm heart for the US I knew (past tense!) from private and business trips.
A period in which I had the pleasure to travel the East- and West coast and some of the places and cities in between plus two marvelous stays in Hawaii, a period during which I met a lot of very friendly, helpful US citizens of all colors, all religions and voting left or right. Leading to many interesting conversations and discussions on a variety of topics after which meals have been shared and laughter exchanged.
That the reputation from the US, which was already on a downward slope since Bush's "mission accomplished" idiocy in the Middle East, is now completely down the proverbial drain. Thinking that this convicted felon president and his Heritage Foundation freaks are only in their 4th month makes me wonder what, if anything, will be left of the US in 2028.
Now on the plus side, as Mr. Rothkopf also indicates. The resilience and fighting spirit of Americans is such that I know (and hope) that they will fight this regime with teeth and nails.
Will the same US emerge afterwards? I don't think so. Too much has been destroyed. But at least you would all become a reliable partner again for other countries, other nations.
Well, David, I'm not so negative about the US as you may be. Of course, being a resident of the fourth largest economy in the world, and a person who pretty much ignores all the flyover states, because they only keep going because of the money California gives them. As far as I'm concerned, at this moment, the west coast is the center of the US. So t thinks he's president, does he? He doesn't seem to have much power, except to cause laughter (TACO) and outrage ("He said what?"). His attempt to cut expenses seems to have increased them, because neither he nor muck understand consequences. He's concerned about Harvard? Oh really? My father got his doctorate at Harvard, and I was born in Cambridge. But my father spent the last 28 years of his teaching career at Berkeley, and I myself graduated from Berkeley. I'm a big admirer of land grant universities, and I follow what my father always, pick your college based on what you want to learn. Almost every college has one subject or segment of a subject in which it is the best in the country or the world. T and others seem to regard colleges as a sign of social status. You're supposed to be there because you want to learn, not because you're looking for social status.
I agree that we boomers didn't govern well. But we were kind of cut out of it by Reagan. GW Bush, our only true boomer was a moron, and not a good representative of us. But we also seem to be more interested in learning and doing what we wanted to do. Jobs and Wozniak gave us the popular computer, and they weren't as interested in going to school as they were in building/inventing something new. Me, I wanted to read Homer in Homeric Greek. My husband wanted to play music. We're just not the governing types. Roosevelt and his generation gave us the space to do whatever we wanted and then Nixon, Reagan, et al., set the US up for failure in the long run. I've kind of given up on the US over the past few months, but I do think California will keep the Constitution, and we will do the best at surviving the climate crisis. The rest of the country, especially the red states, I don't think they will survive. We're multicultural, we love immigrants, we love the environment, we're just not willing to join, oh, say, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana...
Yes, formerly imperial Britain is the right comp. Empire is unhealthy for its victims and it perpetrators. Encourages delusion.
Should add, doesn't mean I will not keep fighting for a better America. Been at it a lifetime.
A nation divided against itself (or any human endeavor) can not long endure. Maybe it is time to let the troublemakers of division go away and learn the hard way that as my dad used to say: "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" but as I used to counter and Trump has prover me very correct, "you catch the most with bull s__t." Unless you are planning to plant a garden or acres of produce what you end up with is a smelly mess and lots of unhappy people. I think we have arrived there.
I'd take it a step further, than David, Now, with their protections revoked the Trump administration is looking for ways to deport people quickly. One can compare the Trump regime and the obvious sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was their extreme lack of compassion, in their treatment of strangers and the poor. This included their arrogant and uncharitable behavior, as well as a general lack of concern for the needy and overall depravity and refusal to help others. Nazi's ethnic cleansing insult. Take your pick.
This is a very well written, thoughtful piece on the state of our country today. I wake up every day amazed at the state in which we find our country. Being a Boomer, I’ve lived through and fought for many changes these past 70+ years-McCarthyism, Cold War, Vietnam, Civil Rights, Womens Rights, Veterans Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights and on and on. But we Boomers are no fools. It’s time to pass the torch to innovative ideas, new passions, new discoveries and dreams. Rest assured, though, we will be right there behind you with our canes and walkers and wheelchairs as well as those blessed with whole bodies, marching, shouting, fighting and cheering with you all. God bless our new generations. You will bring us through!!
I think a lot of us are braced by your articulation of things which are fairly obvious to those who are paying attention and putting two and two together. And thanks for your efforts on our behalf. I personally wouldn't mind if we experienced some sort of pause or even regression, if that resulted in ridding ourselves of the regressive, greedy, frightened, sexist, racist, arrogant wealthy fascists who are very much contributing to our downfall. Let's hope that when Humpty Dumpty has his great fall, we can put something way better than that bloated egghead know-nothing not back together again, but together better.
Build, better, stronger should be the plan. Also correcting the holes in our constitution so that a felon can not hold ANY office including the presidency!!
Amen to that.
It's hard to disagree with any of these points, including the fact that political divisions have been with us since the founding and the perverse role of the current regime in seeking to exacerbate them. Some of us wonder why everyone doesn't recognize what is happening right before our eyes. This country, "led" by a democratically elected convicted felon and known huckster president, seems to be doing its best to commit slow motion yet strangely accelerated national suicide. Is there any precedent anywhere in world history for the self-infliction of such a wound? And will it be fatal? And why are the views of those of us who believe we see these things clearly not shared by all Americans? Loaded questions.
Sir, you are always right in the mark. I agree we’ve always been divided, but this guy is making everything so much worse. He is telling people to let loose their racist and hate-filled freak flag. He is actively trying to I believe, destroy our country. He is laying the ground work for authoritarianism. Yes, the weird minority want to rule. Geeez. Thank you and hope you had a great time traveling!
Thanks for your words
I am myself a graduate alumnus with a Master’s degree from Boston College, that I finished many years ago
I was lucky to enjoy the freedom and the opportunity that the American higher educations system could deliver
I am disgusted and appalled to see what is going on in the US under Trump
This is for the most part a great post telling us how it is. My viewpoint is slightly different - “never” is a strong absolute term in describing our future position that I’ve found from experience cannot be reliably used in most narratives. Assumptions and circumstances always change. The trick is to not only to make the required structural changes but to show the world that no matter who is President, our word is sacrosanct and our core values will not be undermined by any scoundrels or authoritarians. There will be plenty of opportunities to illustrate this over time, but it needs to be demonstrated to the world in order for us to regain trust. It won’t be quick or easy or timely enough (for those who are advanced in years), there will be setbacks and successes, but the long term goal must never be forgotten or abandoned and we may indeed be closer one day to the ideal than ever before.
Aussie here. It's sad watching the US decline and fall like so many empires before it ... but also essential that at least some Americans are realising it wasn't really that great before.
The rest of the world is scrambling to find new allies and strengthen old bonds, while your country destroys itself at the hands of a narcissistic toddler bent on grift and revenge. Can't imagine what the world will look like in just 10 years' time, let alone 20 or 30 🤔
most of us are trying to see our country and are horrified at the destruction TACO is causing with his band of deplorables!!
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